I like to have a bit of small denomination local currency when I arrive, so we keep a stash of misfit bills and coins (euros, pounds, US dollars, pesos, etc.) from previous trips. If that’s running low I’ll supplement with cash before I go from the bank. Once at the destination, I use ATMs for cash and mostly charge things to my credit card to avoid carrying much cash. I have also converted US dollars to local currency in Africa, as other have mentioned bring new large bills for this, old bills are treated with suspicion due to rampant counterfeiting.
35 years ago travelers checks were the way to go. Now they are almost useless. I got some from work as an anniversary gift, and they were hard to use even in the US.
I’ll tell you how out rotation they are-- I’m 27 and a fairly experienced travelever. . . I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea how you would use a traveler’s check. I’ve always heard about them, but I would be befuddled.
They come in predetermined denominations. You sign them when you want to use them, and the payee can deposit them in a bank just like cash. The advantage is that you could call the issuer and cancel them if they were stolen, and get replacements. They used to be as good as cash, now hardly anyone knows what they are and are unlikely to accept them.
If I’m doing anything more exotic than CAD to USD or pesos, I do it through CAA (which is also like AAA - guess what the C stands for 
). When I went to Japan I had to special order yen from the travel agency, the bank wouldn’t order it in.
I’ve only been to the US, Mexico and Japan. No worries about getting cash in the US or Mexico, but ATMs in Japan are a little iffy. The only 24hr ones are at 7-11 and I’ve heard they’ve recently restricted the cards you can use.
For my recent 20-day trip to Japan, I bought about ¥80,000 before I went, because I’d heard that it might be hard to find ATMs that took foreign cards. In fact, about three times my Australian debit card was rejected by ATMs in convenience stores, but then I found a bank ATM that let me have ¥50,000, which was enough for the rest of my trip.
Yes, one easy way to change big notes was to use a subway ticket vending machine. I bought a ¥200 ticket with a ¥10,000 note, and the machine happily gave me back nine ¥1,000 notes and ¥800 in coins.
My other recent experiences are at airports in China and Korea. At Guangzhou Airport, I bought something in a shop at the airport with an Australian $10 note, and got about 60 yuan in change that I could spend on other things at the airport. At Seoul Incheon Airport I changed an American $20 note, and got about ₩40,000, which makes you feel rich until you found out how many thousand won a cup of coffee costs.
I generally get a couple of hundred dollars from the local Travelex office in the overseas currency and then use ATMs for cash while away. When I was in the US last month, I did find several ATMs around Universal Studios Hollywood and the Citywalk wouldn’t let me get money on my ANZ Bank card. They had the Cirrus logo like all the other, bank ATMs I used but just wouldn’t spit out the cash. I just tried a bank ATM the next day and had no problem.
I keep small amounts of lots of currencies on hand when there is a chance I will go back to the country in question or if the currency there is stable. So I always have Swiss Francs, UK Pounds, Euros, Czech Crowns, UAE Dirhams, and maybe 6 or 7 others.
For new countries (such as Moldova and Transnistria a month ago) I will use an ATM for a few hundred USD equivalent or about $40 equivalent from an airport/train station/border currency exchange kiosk.
The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) has, for some unknown reason, decided to designate itself apart from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), though it is a part of the CAA. The CAA is affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA). As a result, they are all the same thing: as an AMA member, I can access CAA/AAA resources anywhere in the US and Canada.
ETA to answer the OP: I usually get about $100 in the equivalent of the destination country’s currency before I go, so I can take care of cab fare, bus fare, tips, and other small expenses that arise when I get off the plane. Later, I’ll find an ATM, but this way, I don’t have to line up at an airport ATM.
In Egypt, you’ll want to do both. You’ll want to have small change on you at all times. Trust me on this. If you go to an ATM, you’ll have all the big Egyptian Pound notes you’ll need for big purchases. However, they’re no good when you need to buy something small like entrance to a public bathroom.
Egypt is not as bad about it, but in India, dealing with a ripped note almost became a joke as we had a bill that we could almost never get rid of. The rip was about a 1/4" tear on the side with the whole bill intact. I’m not alone.
Turkey though, that’s the place to use ATMs as they are all fee-free.
I wouldn’t call the OP a twit but I do something else.
My case may be unusual because for me, foreign travel is driving to Canada. The Canadian government has information and currency exchange offices along the routes I usually travel in on. They are convenient and offer a good rate so I use them.
My Wife and I are going to Germany for 3 weeks in Sept. We live in the USA.
When you folks say ‘Bank Card’, do you mean a card that withdraws right from your checking account? Or do you mean a credit card.
I had stopped using my bank card that withdraws from my checking account mostly for fraud protection. And my CC gives me points that air travel is now essentially free for us.
I think most folks meant a debit card that withdraws money straight from your account.
If you CC is Visa or Mastercard you could use it to get cash from ATMs in Germany I would think, but isn’t there normally a fee for doing this since it counts as a cash advance? You could also use it for purchases, of course.
That’s one thing that’s handy about working in downtown Toronto: I’ve never had problems getting foreign currency from a bank at the spur of the moment (U.S. dollars, euros, British pounds, Chinese yuan, Hong Kong dollars, Dominican pesos, Mexican pesos, etc.). I guess that’s not quite true; one time I was looking for Chinese yuan and they had just run out.
If I know I will need a large amount of cash–for example, if I’ll be staying at a bed and breakfast that won’t take credit cards–I’ll get it from my bank before I leave this country. If I’m mostly going to be using a credit card while I travel and just want some pocket money for postcards, stamps, and other little things, I’ll change money at the airport. Or pop into a local bank while traveling if I find I need a little more.
I’ve been leary of using ATMs or getting a cash advance on a card since I’ve had unpleasant experiences and run into surprise fees with both. I’d only resort to them in an emergency.